HEALTH chiefs have defended allowing a convicted killer and notorious drug dealer to use his home as a legitimate needle exchange centre.

They argue that they only turned to Roger Austin, who was jailed for five years for manslaughter last week, when Kirkholt's pharmacies and surgeries refused to host a drop-in service to fight against HIV infection.

Over more than a decade, Austin, who was found guilty of killing Charlie Cawley with a crossbow in June, handed out hundreds of thousands of needles to drug addicts at his home in Balderstone Road, Kirkholt.

He was still operating the 24-hour drop-in centre a few weeks before the arrest which led to his manslaughter conviction, despite having a conviction for possessing drugs with intent to supply in 1992.

Kirkholt is an area of high drug use and Austin's was the only drop-in centre of the six started in Rochdale which operated from a private address.

Doctor Sheila Will, director of public health for Rochdale Primary Care Trust, said: "The health authority approached a number of places on Kirkholt but no one wanted to run an exchange from their premises.

"I am sure they had a good reason to allow the exchange to happen at Mr Austin's home because what he was providing was a useful 24-hour service in harm reduction."

Austin, known as Pig after once keeping a pig in his home, was always co-operative, helpful and pleasant with staff, she said and they had not suspected he had been a drug dealer.

She did not know why the conviction for drug dealing was not picked up on, adding that there had 'obviously been a breakdown in communication somewhere'.

A thousand clean needles were delivered to Austin's home every two to three weeks from the early 1990s - possibly as early as 1989 - when Rochdale health authority first established the needle exchange programme. Used needles were picked up in return.

Austin volunteered and was never paid.

In April, Rochdale's six needle exchange centres, which are focussed on preventing the spread of HIV infection, were transferred from the Primary Care Trust to Pennine Care Trust's community drug team.

Details of the needle exchange came to light during Austin's trial at Manchester Crown Court, where the jury heard how the supply of sterile needles had been a 'front' for the sale of drugs.